Cisco names Saudi Arabia as fastest grower for 2006

Vendor to boost headcount in Kingdom from 70 to 600

ByPublished
December 8, 2006

Networking vendor Cisco has revealed that Saudi Arabia has been ranked its fastest growing market worldwide in fiscal 2006.

The announcement comes just a few months after the vendor ploughed US$265million into the region, unveiled plans to introduce another 100 educational academies and disclosed that it will be boosting headcount from 70 to 600.

The company said that the growth rate it was seeing in the Kingdom showed that its strategy was proving successful.

Dr Badr Al-Badr, general manager at Cisco Saudi Arabia, said: “The company’s growth in KSA exhibits the leading role played by Saudi organisations in adopting innovative technologies and solutions.

“With Cisco’s plans to invest and expand our presence in the region, it is the ideal partner for Saudi organisations, helping them to be more innovative, efficient and productive.”

Cisco said that it expected such growth in the ICT sector to enhance Saudi Arabia’s competitiveness and lead to higher levels of efficiency and productivity. The company also claimed that the overall effect of this growth would be an incr- ease in foreign direct investment into the country.

“The ICT sector has become a driving force for competitiveness in KSA.

“Global organisations such as Cisco have embraced this new transformation in Saudi Arabia, and have been bringing in global technology and thought leadership to be shared with local businesses in order to elevate competitiveness to a new level,” added Al-Badr.

The investment is being sponsored by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority which claimed it was encouraged by the support shown to the Kingdom by Cisco.

Separately, total networking solutions provider Hasoub signed a tier one agreement to become a Cisco partner last month.

The firm has been operational for just over a year, but already has agreements with Systimax, Dell and Aruba Networks, among others.

Hasoub has been involved in implementing the data centre, networking and cabling for the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project in Mecca.